Fate
by SigMcMuffin
Summary: What if things had happened differently? For now this is listed as complete, but who knows...maybe I'll write a sequel.


This is a revamped version of the story. I had written the original at 3am and in roughly an hour. It was, admittedly, not my best writing. I went back and added some details and corrected some grammar mistakes. I have decided to go ahead and do some more chapters as I work on my translations. I hope you continue to enjoy, thank you to both my reviewers. Beware of possible spoilers for those who have not read the series (or seen the entire show). I will be trying to incorporate aspects of both. Arigato gozaimasu!

Disclaimer: I do not own **Matantei Loki**. If I did there would be lots of crazy glomping of one very awesome Trickster God by one slightly crazy, pink-haired high school girl at the end of the manga series. Just sayin'.

**Chapter 1**

**A New Beginning**

"So, why do you hang around with me then Mayura?" Loki smirked down at the teenager. Not that he would ever complain about her being nearby, after all he had given up Asgard to come back and be by her side. He wasn't afraid to admit, if only to himself, that he had a certain amount of feelings for the girl. And when he had found her after his return her tears had made his heart twist. Now, she was a source of constant happiness for him. Somehow they completed each other. He noted the pretty blush on her face after his question and couldn't help but smirk a bit more.

"Well," Mayura thought for a moment. "You're a detective, so I figure the more I follow you the more strange mysteries I'll come across!" She knew this wasn't exactly the truth, but she wasn't sure what to make of the feelings for the man in front of her. After all, she had only known him for a couple of weeks. She just knew that his presence filled something within her that felt broken and missing. Loki practically stumbled in his walk, shoulders and head slumping.

"I was afraid it was something like that."

"Loki-san?" Mayura ran forward and grabbed his jacket, making him pause to stop and look at her.

The scene faded on the mirror and the ones that had been watching shared small smiles, feeling that perhaps they could finally breath a sigh of relief. Perhaps destiny really could be overcome. Loki-sama had said plenty of times that he didn't believe in a preordained fate and that he'd defy it even if it existed. Maybe the Trickster God really had changed the prophecy of Ragnorok.

"Urd-oneesama? Did you ever think about what would've happened had Mayura-chan not been an active part of Loki-sama's life?" Verdandi looked over at the oldest of the Norns, who simply nodded in answer.

"I have considered it. But possible futures are not my area of expertise. All I can do is show to you a past where she dies."

"And then I can show you the future without her," Skuld, the youngest of the sisters, replied smoothly. The three sisters, ruled by Fate, exchanged looks and nodded in unison.

"Then let us begin."

~!~!~!~

Kaho knocked frantically on the mansion's front door, praying that the chibi detective was home. She had only met him once, but something in his demeanor made her want to trust him. Or, at least believe that he was the only one that could do what needed to be done. Kaho quickly rushed forward as the door started opening, completely ignoring the green-haired young man who had answered it. As she ran down the hall, Yamino followed her.

"Kaho-san!?" Yamino called as he chased her up the stairs, but she didn't slow down and as she reached the door for the study she flung it open, finding the young boy she was searching for staring at her calmly, his green eyes searching.

"What is the meaning of this Kaho-san?"

"It's Mayura!"

Loki frowned a bit. He had only met the girl a week ago and so far she had managed worm her way into his life every day since.

"What about her?"

"The Two-Bladed Killer got her! I just know it!" Loki sighed a bit; the killer had only been going after girls with dark hair and ponytails, why would he change his M.O. now? But something gnawed at his chest uncomfortably, the teenager in front of him seemed very convinced of her declaration and she didn't come off as being as flighty as the cheerful Mayura.

"What makes you think so?" Kaho sighed and Loki glanced outside, noting idly that it was raining.

"She was trying to make me feel better and came to school wearing a wig..." Loki glanced back at Kaho sharply, not liking where this was going.

"She was supposed to meet me for ice cream in town a couple hours after school, so that I could help her with her math homework, but, she never showed up. I called her father...and he said that she had never come home. That was yesterday. Mayura's father is friends with Detective Niiyama...but...they haven't found her yet either, so I thought...perhaps..." Loki jumped up from his chair and made for the door.

"Come along Yamino-kun."

"Yes of course Loki-sama."

"What about me?" Kaho asked quietly. Yamino turned to regard her.

"Go home. Quickly. We'll go look for Mayura-san."

"O-okay."

~!~!~!

Mayura opened her eyes slowly, trying to take in her surroundings through the dim candlelight. Her shoulders were sore, and when she tried to move them she discovered that her arms were tied behind her back.

"Oh, good you're awake now." Mayura turned to face the unfamiliar voice, eyes widened. He didn't look like a killer to her, just crazy. Something was off about his eyes.

"Why did you bring me here? What's going on?"

"I decided to add you to my collection. I collect beautiful girls you see, and you'll always have a friend nearby. They call me a monster, but how can that be when all the girls I've collected are all so serene and happy? I'm really doing them, and you, a favour." The man came forward, standing behind Mayura. She felt herself being lifted to her feet and nudged towards an open window. As she shuffled, she finally noticed the giant mechanisms. _The clock tower? We're in the clock tower?_

"What do you think of my collection?" The man halted her shuffling, and turned her to face a low shelf that was nearby and a glow with candlelight. Aligned on the shelf were four severed heads in various states of decomposition. "They're all so well preserved, I'm a little amazed. This place is magical you see." Mayura started to shake in fear and tried to fight off the nausea that was bubbling in the pit of her stomach. "Well it's almost time!" The man dragged Mayura to the open window and stuck her head out of it. Looking to the side she could see both hands of the giant clock approaching her neck.

_Almost noon. Double…bladed…_ Everything made sense now. Oh WHY had she felt the need to wear this stupid wig yesterday? _But if I hadn't…maybe this would've been Kaho?_ The clock hands jumped forward a minute, a minute closer to her death and Mayura screamed as loud as she could hoping against hope that SOMEONE would hear her. _Perhaps papa got Detective Niiyama on the case, and he'll come running up the stairs to save me._ That's when she saw the young detective and his butler on the pavement below her.

"LOKI-KUN!!!" The boy looked up towards the girl as he ran into the building. Mayura choked on her sob, realizing that they wouldn't make it in time. "I'm so sorry papa," she whispered.

~!~!~!

Loki ran as fast as his short legs would carry him, cursing his child body for the millionth time since he had been cast out of Asgard. If he had the full extent of his powers saving Mayura wouldn't have been half the problem it was. As he approached the door at the top of the staircase he summoned Laevaetein to his hands, not sure how he would use it once he got close. Through the open door he could see the edge of the hour hand approaching Mayura's head; the girl was limp having passed out from the fear. Without a second though Loki threw the staff like a javelin, lodging it within the clockwork forcing the gears to stop. As he did that Yamino ran towards the open window, grabbing the man away from Mayura, and practically throwing him against the wall; knocking the man unconscious.

As the man slumped to the ground the clockwork gears started to groan under the pressure of not moving, and Loki glanced fearfully between where the Laevaetein lay lodged and Mayura still hanging out of the window. Just as the powerful staff snapped, Yamino dragged her unconscious form back inside the building.

"Is she okay?" Loki asked as he approached.

"It was really close Loki-sama. Her neck is bleeding, but the wound doesn't look that bad." Loki untied the loose scarf he wore around his neck and handed it down to the kneeling Yamino.

"Tie this around her neck, it should help." As Yamino finished tying the scarf around her neck, she began to stir; her eyelids fluttering open.

"Where…?" She looked around confusedly. This is not what she imagined heaven to look like, and standing next to her certainly was not her mother. "Loki-kun?"

"You stupid girl, what were you thinking?" The miniature god peered down at her, his green eyes glinting.

"I was just trying to cheer Kaho up," she mumbled. "It's not as if I went LOOKING for this. This is a type of mystery I'd rather leave with the professionals. UFOS, spirits, possessed pictures…that's more up my alley. Oh! Speaking of which…" Mayura made to sit up and quickly lay back down again as the room started spinning.

"Just stay put Mayura."

"But there's a mystery that I was going to investigate before all this happen! A good detective doesn't wait!" In the background the three could hear several feet running up the steps. "Eh?" Mayura looked to the boy beside her, confused as to what was happening now.

"That should be Detective Niiyama and your father," Loki informed her quietly.

"MAYURA!" Misao Daidouji ran through the open door and made a beeline straight for where his daughter lay. "What happened?"

"Loki-kun and Yamino-san barely made it, but here I am! Alive and well!"

"And what's that around your neck?"

"Huh?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice it Mayura. For someone who wants to be a detective, you sure are lousy at it," Loki remarked half-heartedly.

"Mou, Loki-kun is mean," she replied as she fingered the silken scarf around her neck. It was then that she realized the one that was usually around the kid detective's neck was missing. "Thank you Yamino-san, Loki-kun." Meanwhile, Detective Niiyama was making sure the Two-Bladed Killer was handcuffed before trying to wake him up.

"Hey, Kid?" Niiyama looked over at Loki, questions in his eyes.

"Yes Detective-san?"

"How did you know to come here?" Loki thought about it. At first he really hadn't known to come here. They really hadn't had that many clues as to where the murders were happening. They had originally given Kaho a pair of earrings in the (slightly morbid) hope that she would be the next one kidnapped. Loki would then track the earrings and get to her before anything bad happened. All that had changed when Mayura was the one taken. _So how did _I _know?_ A voice kept echoing in his head. Telling him he had to find Mayura or some inexplicable evil thing would happen and it would change his destiny. Not that he really _believed_ in destiny, but it had been a niggling thought burrowing itself deeper and deeper into his soul. Finally, he just KNEW to check the clock tower.

"Eh…pure intuition Detective-san." Niiyama just looked at Loki, his detective's eye doing a quick appraisal. After a moment he just grunted and nodded his head, hoisting the murderer up with him.

"I'll need you down at the station for your witness report, and Misao-san? I'll need Mayura-chan as well when she gets to feeling better." Mayura and her father both nodded at the detective as he walked away.

~!~!~!~!

"What happened? I thought that this was to be the past where Mayura-chan dies." Verdandi asked as the scrying mirror fogged. Urd just stared at the scrying mirror, as if willing the images to come back.

"I'm not sure. Something within him knew to not let it happen, told him where to go. It seems that Loki-sama will always be destined to defy destiny." Urd marveled at the sheer irony of the statement. _Destined to defy destiny. It's a paradox._

"Perhaps they are destined for more? Have we been missing some key part of the story?"

"Perhaps. But that is an answer only the Future can provide," Urd responded. Meanwhile Skuld sulked in a corner, trying very hard not to think about Loki and Mayura's future. Really, fate was not kind.


End file.
